Walking south on Griswold to last night’s WordCamp Detroit 2018 afterparty in downtown Detroit, I passed by this window, edged by incredible-looking intricate carvings on two sides.
I had to stop to take a closer look!
It was clear that what is now a window was once the entrance to the building.
Columns on either side of the sculptural carvings rose up to the third story of the building.
And the intricate limestone carvings of animals, vines, and mythical gods reminded me of other carvings I’d seen on buildings in Detroit. And the architecture seemed familiar.
When I came home last night, I did some online research.
It didn’t take me long to learn the identities of the sculptor and the building architect. I wasn’t surprised; they’re known for their work in Detroit.
Security Trust Company Building
Built in 1925 for the Security Trust Company, the building with the amazing entrance is the work of Albert Kahn.
One of Detroit’s best known architects, Kahn designed dozens of buildings and homes in Detroit and southeast Michigan, including the Fisher Building, where Kahn employed the artist who created the stunning carvings on the Security Trust Building.
Who was that artist?
Corrado Perducci, Artist
Corrado Perducci was born in Italy, immigrated to New York to attend design school, and eventually moved to Detroit in the mid-1920’s where he began his sculptural work with Kahn and other architects.
Perducci’s work can be seen in some of Detroit’s most iconic buildings:
- Penobscot Building entrance archway and metalwork in the lobby
- Masonic Temple lobby
- Guardian Building Mayan-style gods at the entryway
- David Stott Building entrance
When he died in 1981, Perducci had completed sculptural work on almost 600 buildings throughout Michigan, though the majority of his work was in Detroit.
Personally, I didn’t realize I had seen so much of his work when I attended downtown Detroit events and walked the streets of the city.
I’m going to do my best to revisit some of the buildings to see his work again!
